Tunnel Day – Coal and Beer

We’re in Pennsylvania now.  Coal is big in this area.  My favorite town name is Port Carbon (since 1852).  The name came since the town was on a river and coal was shipped out from this town.  Cool!

Our first stop was a coal mine.  You travel by cart into the mine.  Our group was mostly 5^th graders from a local school.  While they were noisy, it actually made the tour more exciting.  Plus, I’m about the same height of the kids so I was amused.

 

Our guide wasn’t really happy being a guide, but you knew he lived it as a coal miner. A gruff man, he even told the kids to stay in school so they wouldn’t have to work as a miner when they grew up.

 

My favorite part was this signature by the Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter.  He flew into space in 1962 and visited here in 1969.

 

Our next stop was Yuengling Beer, the oldest brewery in American (1829).  The brewery was built here because they could build tunnels to keep beer cold (around 52 F) in those days before refrigeration.  They used some of the coal miners to build the tunnels. 

 

John and I both worked making cans so the part of the tour seeing the speed of the canning process was fun.

 

Of course we also enjoyed the samples after the tour.

Sightseeing with an RV

Sightseeing with a car is one thing, but wandering in areas you aren’t familiar in an RV and pulling a car is something completely different.  The problems started when I got called into a business meeting when we were close to our stop for the day.  That meant I needed to go to the back of the RV where it’s quieter.  In the meantime, John was navigating through an extremely busy highway near New York City.  He wasn’t able to get to the right lane to make the exit with our long rig.  So, he’s trying to find a way back or at least someplace to stop and couldn't work the GPS while he was in such busy traffic.  Somewhere about this time I came back from my meeting.  I made things worse by having him make an exit into a small town.  Unfortunately it had small streets with small parking lots.  We couldn’t even fit into the gas stations. 

I’m playing with the GPS trying to find some options.  In the season premiere of “How I Met Your Mother”, Ted is making a cross-country trip with Lilly in a car.  He makes her so mad with stupid, obscure, and silly stops that that she decides to take the train instead.  I’m glad I’m not like Ted.  Turns out we were close to our next day sightseeing stops in Sleepy Hollow.

Sleepy Hollow is another very small street town.  We drove past the Headless Horseman Bridge (where the pumpkin head was thrown in the story). I wanted to stop at the cemetery where Washington Irving is buried, but that’s just not possible in an RV. 

 

Next, our GPS had us driving on a parkway where RV’s and trucks aren’t allowed.  Several times we drove under bridges where it seemed so close I literally ducked.  There were no signs giving heights, but it was close!  Finally, we found a shopping parking lot where we had time to make a decision.  I made a couple of calls and found a nice state park where we could camp for the night.  We’re rethinking our next few days given the traffic in this area.

Navy Day at Battleship Cove

 

In the Navy, John served on the USS Joseph P. Kennedy.  It’s a destroyer that is now a part of the exhibit at Battleship Cove.  Entrance to this place gives you access to this destroyer, a battleship, a submarine, a Russian ship, and lots of smaller exhibits.  Wear comfortable shoes, because it involves climbing through hatches and climbing steep stairs just like in the Navy.  Here’s John in the rack he used to sleep in (yes, I made him climb in).  The lockers for the three guys are below him.

We’d seen the ships a few years ago, but John wanted to revisit his ship.  It turned out there was another guy there that served on the ship a few years after John.  He took us on a personal tour including some areas that he unlocked for us.  John worked with the boilers.  That included climbing into small places to clean the tubes like going under and then inside the boiler in this picture.

 

Even back in the 60’s they had drones.  This one was operated with a joystick to take a torpedo to the target.

 

 

In the ordinance room.

 

Our guide was heavily involved in the process of getting the ship from the Navy and rebuilding it.  They work very hard in trying to make the ship as authentic as possible.  It means trips around the country to find parts on similar ships or searching ebay for parts.  Volunteers do much of the work to maintain it.  The place is a little expensive, but the money is going to keeping the ships afloat.

Birdnado

 

We’ve all heard (and seen!) Sharknado.  But I got to see Birdnado at our campsite along the Massachusetts coast.  Or maybe this is the scene from “The Birds”?! Hundreds of birds took flight and started circling.  It’s fun to watch when you’re far enough away from it.

We took a walk along the beach.  It’s different from the Maine rocky cliffs  and the Florida sandy beaches.  There’s some sand along with granite rocks along the beach. 

We walked out to an island that had this building on it.  We’re not sure what is was built for but it’s art now!

 

We’re assuming this was all found along the beach.  I liked the look of this.

 

Freedom Trail in Boston

The tourist thing to do in Boston is to walk the Freedom Trail.  It’s a path though the city streets that passes by multiple historic stops.  The trail itself is marked by a thin strip of red bricks or red paint.  Two and a half miles isn’t long when you’re hiking in the woods.  It is long when you walking in the city with cobblestone at times, weaving among lots of other tourists, and walking extra steps to see the historic places.  It took us around 4 hours to walk the trail one wayand then only ½ hour to return by a shorter path.

There were various gymnastic and music performances going on along the Boston streets.  Entertaining! Extra fun was going on the subway to get into town.  Boston traffic isn’t fun, but subways are always cool.  This is John’s look to me of “Really, you’re taking a picture of me in the subway?”

Off the trail, but near the start of Boston Commons is the Cheers bar. The story that goes along with this was when I was very pregnant with my son I went to the doctor eager for delivery soon.  “When can I have this baby?” I asked.  Due to minor complications, he decided on induced childbirth.  “When do you want it?  How about this Thursday?”  “No,” I answered, “that’s the final episode of Cheers.” So that’s why David wasn’t born until the next Monday.

Old Granary Burial Ground has the gravesites of people like Paul Revere and John Hancock.  Personally, I liked the smaller stones like this one for a servant of John Hancock.  Many of the stones had scary faces on the top to remind people how close death was to the living and show the piety of the departed.

 

The Old North Church was interesting with the pew boxes.  This is the church where the lamps were put to warn of the British plan (“One if by land, and two if by sea”).  When I looked at these stairs, all I can think of is what the guys were saying back in 1775. “Dang, whose plan is it that I have to climb these skinny stairs with a lamp?”  Matter of fact, I guess it took three people to send the signal.  One watched for the British while two people brought up the lamps.

Speaking of skinny, this is the skinniest house in Boston at just over 10’ wide.

Neat firehouse.  I just love the look of a city firehouse!

 

Old Ironsides (the U.S.S. Constitution) is located in the Boston Harbor.  There are all kinds of security, but you can tour the ship.

This is the dry dock in Charlestown Navy Yard.  Back in 1968, John worked for several months to repair the USS Joseph P. Kennedy while it was in this dry dock.  Ah, memories!  Mostly he remembers how cold it was and a greasy spoon restaurant that was nearby.

A long day!

The Shot Heard ‘Round the World

 

Besides the literary places, the Concord area is full of history since it is where the Revolutionary War began.  Again, I’m learning (or perhaps relearning) my history. The British had control of Boston.  They had heard reports that rebels (or patriots depending on your viewpoint) had stored arms in Concord.  The British planned to seize the arms. Patriot spies found out their plans.  There was a question of whether the British would go by land all the way to Concord, or by sea and land.  That was answered by the “One if by land, and two if by sea” signal lights in the Old North Church in Boston by patriots who had learned of the more detailed British plans. 

Paul Revere and William Dawes rode to Lexington and Concord to warn the people.  The arms were moved and militia gathered.  I’m realizing how wars are started almost accidentally.  The Redcoats shot our militia killing several in Lexington but without any orders to shoot.  When they reached Concord, the militia minutemen that had gathered had heard some of the story in Lexington.  The Redcoats went through the town looking for arm supplies.  They accidentally started a fire but then worked to put it out.  To the militia outside of town, it looked like they were burning the town.  The militia and a small group of Redcoats met on the North Bridge.  A shot was fired (probably by the British and probably without any orders). The American militia returned fired and killed several of the British.  Ta-dah, war!

Louisa May Alcott

I’m a fan of Henry David Thoreau but I love Louisa May Alcott.  Personally, I like that I can indulge in classic Alcott on a Kindle without having to go to the children’s section in the library.  While in Concord I had to visit where she grew up.

Orchard House is similar to the book in that there is a big garden beside it.  In the book it’s divided into plots for the girls, here it was wild flowers.  She really did have three sisters like in Little Women (she was the Jo-ish one).  But she never married.

 

As a kid reading Alcott, I didn’t realize the philosophy behind the books.  Her parents, and later Louisa, were part of the Transcendentalism movement in the early 1800’s.  The belief was in the inherent goodness of people, independence, and in nature.  She also believed in abolition and was a feminist.  I like her!

She is also buried in the family plot on the Author’s Ridge (Hawthorne and Emerson are also here).  Her grave was surrounded by remembrances including written notes.

 

 I loved today!

The Simple Life - Walden

I’ve always enjoyed reading Walden by Henry David Thoreau.  When planning this trip, I realized we’d be in the area of Walden’s Pond, so I couldn’t miss it!

To prepare for the visit, I reread the book on my Kindle.  I wonder what Thoreau would think of that?  The Kindle was made by technology and factories that he disliked.  Yet it allows one to read thousands of books without requiring all the paper of books.  Most of the books I read are available for free on gutenburg.org, yet I need the technology of the internet to download these books.  Whatever his feelings, I’ve enjoyed having these classics available to me whether I’m sitting in an airport or outside my RV.

Thoreau lived for a little over two years in a small home/shack near the pond.  He advocated a simple life and questioned the need for large houses and large closets of clothes.  He questioned whether it was worth working so many hours and years just to buy things to impress the neighbors.  Over the last few years we’ve been simplifying our life too.  While not a shack on a pond, the RV is much smaller than many homes.  Even the house we bought is small.  I love the idea of a small home with few “gewgaws” as Thoreau would say.  Cleaning our house or RV takes only a few minutes.  Yet, we aren’t ready to completely give up civilization.  TV is nice to have and air conditioning is really appreciated, especially in the hot and humid South.  

 

We saw a reconstruction of his house.  Actually, at 150 square feet, it’s not that much smaller than our RV.  Plus, he had only one person living there.  I’m not sure if the original house was as sturdy as this one, but it didn’t look bad.

We also walked around the pond to see the spot where he lived.  The pond is still beautiful, but now open as a swimming spot.  The day was gorgeous with leaves just starting to change colors,

When he lived at the pond, he wasn’t really that far from civilization.  He mentions walking into town frequently.  Concord is only a few miles away. He is buried at Author’s Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in a family plot.  The gravestone was surrounded by coins, rocks, pens, pencils, acorns, and pinecones.  Other than the coins, they all seemed appropriate for Thoreau as one of the most famous early naturalists in the United States.  Two of the stones had writing on them expressing their thoughts of him and his writing.

Seafood and Textile Mills

Seafood isn’t cheap in New England, but it’s good and fresh.  We stopped at Bob’s Clam Hut in Kittery Maine after a recommendation from a friend.  It was also featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives with Guy Fieri.  The clams were fresh and wonderful!  Instead of sitting inside, you sit outside on picnic tables.  We shared the table with two retired gentlemen who had served in the Navy.  John and the guys shared Navy stories.  It was an enjoyable lunch.

We then visited with my oldest brother who lives in New Hampshire. Our family is so large that stories of the older kids become a legend to us younger kids.  I got to hear the story first hand where Dave was on the Howdy Doody show as a kid.  He sat in the peanut gallery right beside Buffalo Bob.  Before the show started, he was wandering around through the set when Clarabell the Clown caught him.  Clarabell yelled at him (Clarabell was mute during the show and only communicated by honking a horn) and dragged him off the stage.  Later, the child-hating actor Bob Keeshan became Captain Kangaroo.

 

 

We did a little touring in the area and then ate supper at a great restaurant.  The restaurant was located in an old textile mill.  The mill was so interesting we stopped in Lowell the next day to see a national park.  At one time Lowell was the first and largest industrial center in the country making millions of yards of cloth.  Part of the canals that powered the mills still exists. 

 

The city is full of large old brick buildings that housed the mills or for boarding houses for the girls who worked in the mills.  The park has a large room filled with looms (though not as many as would be there originally since they provided a walk-way).  Some of the machines are running to give you a feel for the sound.  We used the ear plugs provided.  It’s been measured at 100 decibels.  Very loud!

 

The gentleman who brought the idea of starting the textile business to Lowell was Francis Cabot Lowell.  He went to England to learn how the machinery works and then found the financial backing to open up mills back in the United States.  I was amused he was a Cabot Lowell.  Am I the only one who knows the phrase...

   And this is good old Boston,
   The home of the bean and the cod,
   Where the Lowells talk only to Cabots,
   And the Cabots talk only to God.  
 

 

By the way, we’re at 36 states and 94 national parks visited.

A Quieter Day

We’ve been busy for the last few days.  While we haven’t had cell phone or internet, we’ve seen a lot.  Today was a little quieter plus we got internet again this evening.  Now we’re busy catching up.  We also were dry camping for four days straight (without power or water).  The power went so low we couldn’t start the generator.  So having power this evening is nice.

Len Libby’s Candies has the World’s Only Life-Size Chocolate Moose which is also the World’s Largest Chocolate Animal Sculpture.  Just remember I’m not an expert on this, maybe there is a larger chocolate animal sculpture?  BTW, I love that spell check wants me to say it’s a Chocolate Mousse not a Chocolate Moose.  Anyhow, the regular chocolate is great too!

Portland Maine has a lighthouse built in 1891.  Great view too.  The rocks below look like petrified wood.

 

 

Unfortunately the International Cryptozoology Museum was closed today.  We could have seen hair and feces samples of Bigfoot if only we came a day earlier or later.  What a disappointment!

Just because I don’t want to be assimilated, I am providing this evidence that they are among us.